In the maintenance of commercial structures and dwelling structures and the like, a basic problem arises in maintaining the internal temperatures of such structures within the acceptable working range. The task is made more difficult by the ever changing external temperatures of the environments outside such structures. In most inhabited locations, substantial temperature variation of the environment is encountered both seasonally and during the daily cycle of daylight and darkness. Most approaches to maintaining internal temperatures of closed structures have provided heating and cooling with internal distribution systems for alternatively increasing or decreasing the temperature of the structures interior. While such processes generally work satisfactorily, they are often costly and inefficient. In addition, such heating and cooling systems have been found to consume prohibitive amounts of the nonreusable nonrenewable energy sources which power them.
In recent years, the increased concern over the depletion of nonrenewable energy sources has motivated practitioners of the heating and cooling art to expend efforts at using the available energy in the natural environment rather than opposing it. One of the most significant examples of such effort is found in the wide variety of solar heating devices which have been provided to utilize the freely available solar energy. The structures of such devices vary substantially. In their simplest form, solar heating devices comprise panel enclosures supported to receive sunlight within the panel interior. Heat conductive means within the solar panels absorb the incident solar energy and carry it to its place of eventual use. In more complex systems, the functioning of the solar panels is adjustable either by position adjustment or by interior mechanisms to vary the degree of energy absorption taking place in the solar panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,117 issued to Keyes sets forth SOLAR HEAT COLLECTING UNITS in which a solar heat collecting element is provided with an interior enclosure having one surface optimized for the transmission of solar energy to the panel interior and heat absorbing or collecting plates assembled within the panel interior. The solar light transmissive panel is provided with a reflective coating on its interior surface to better track the solar radiation within the panel. Means are provided for altering the configurations of the interior plates to change the heat absorbing character of the solar heat collecting units.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,658 issued to Olark sets forth a HEAT TRANSFER PANEL which can be used as a solar energy collector or as a heat rejecting and absorbing panel. The heat transfer panel utilizes a thin flexible membrane within the panel to define a plurality of fluid channels. The intended use of the heat transfer panel is the incorporation of the panel as an integral building element of the structure. The panel is capable of radiating heat outwardly from the panel or absorbing heat energy into the panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,869 issued to Hart sets forth a SOLAR COLLECTOR CONSTRUCTION consisting of a pair of spaced apart rigid panels having aligned edges and a flexible web strung between the end panels to provide a plurality of parallel spanning web elements. The end panels and web structure is enclosed within a pair of front and back surfaces to complete the panel enclosure. The web structure forms a plurality of adjacent chambers within the panel which function to limit the convective heat interchange between the panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,989 issued to Wozny, et al. sets forth a SOLAR HEAT COLLECTOR having a panel enclosure supporting solar energy collecting apparatus and including a screen positioned between the light emitting layer and the energy absorbing layer for increased energy retention. A forced air heat transfer apparatus is adapted to provide a flow of to-be-heated through the panel interior.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,974 issued to Maxey sets forth an INVERTED CHANNEL FOCUSlNG SOLAR COLLECTOR formed in the shape of an inverted geometric cusp of the second kind which permits the collection of direction and diffuse solar radiation. The collector attenuates losses by thermal convection and reverse radiation or re-radiation of energy to the cold or night sky. The multiply-curved panel structure is compact and alleviates the need for elaborate sensing and tracking mechanisms.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,009 issued to Enga sets forth a HELIOTROPIC WIDE SPECTRUM SOLAR PANEL in which an elongated shell of housing is provided having a closed lower side and an open upper side oppositely positioned thereto. The open side includes a transparent panel while the lower side supports a plurality of side by side elongated trough members disposed within the housing for absorbing solar energy. Means are provided for directing an air flow through and across the trough members to carry away absorbed solar heat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,256 issued to Fleming sets forth a SOLAR COLLECTOR having an insulated housing which supports a plurality of parallel layers of fluid carrying members disposed within the housing interior and arranged in a staggered serpentine arrangement. A first screen extends back and forth between the fluid carriers while a second screen is positioned intermediate the outermost fluid carrier and the transparent housing cover. The first and second screens diffuse the received solar energy and absorb heat which is transferred to the fluid carriers.
While such prior art devices provide some benefits in absorbing and utilizing solar energy and in performing as heat absorbers or radiators, they fall short of addressing the overall needs of interior environment temperature control. There arises, therefore, a need in the art for a structure which better controls the transfer of heat energy between the interior of inhabited structures and the exterior environment.